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About U.S. PIRG

Our team of researchers uncovers the facts; our staff bring our findings to the public, through the media as well as one-on-one interactions; and our advocates bring the voice of the public to the halls of power on behalf of consumers.

An Independent Voice For Consumers

U.S. PIRG is an advocate for the public interest, working to win concrete results on real problems that affect millions of lives, and standing up for the public against powerful interests when they push the other way.

The problems we face don’t care if you’re a liberal or a conservative, or if you live in a red or blue state — they affect each and every one of us. That’s why, for decades, we’ve taken a non-partisan, fact-driven, results-oriented approach to our work. And with your help, we can take on the difficult challenges ahead.

Our Top Priorities
Using the time-tested tools of investigative research, media exposés, grassroots organizing, advocacy and litigation, U.S. PIRG stands up to powerful interests and delivers concrete results.

DEFEND THE CONSUMER BUREAU
In the wake of the Great Recession, we helped create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to be our watchdog on Wall Street. But now, Congress is trying to weaken or eliminate it. We need to keep our consumer cop on the financial beat. >LEARN MORE

STOP THE OVERUSE OF ANTIBIOTICS
The overuse of antibiotics on farms is contributing to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, threatening the health of millions every year. We're calling on states to address this growing public health threat. >LEARN MORE

BAN ROUNDUP
New studies link the chemicals in Monsanto's Roundup to cancer and other serious health problems. We're calling on cities and counties across the country to ban Roundup unless and until it's proven safe. >LEARN MORE

DEMOCRACY FOR THE PEOPLE
We're putting regular voters back in the driver’s seat of our democracy by increasing the influence of small donors in elections, overturning Citizens United, and modernizing how we register to vote. >LEARN MORE

Our Mission
U.S. PIRG, the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs), stands up to powerful special interests on behalf of the American public, working to win concrete results for our health and our well-being. With a strong network of researchers, advocates, organizers and students in state capitals across the country, we take on the special interests on issues such as product safety, public health, campaign finance reform, tax and budget reform and consumer protection, where these interests stand in the way of reform and progress.

U.S. PIRG, The Federation Of State Public Interest Research GroupsU.S. PIRG is a federation of independent, state-based, citizen-funded organizations that advocate for the public interest.

Since 1970, state PIRGs have delivered results-oriented citizen activism, stood up to powerful special interests, and used the time-tested tools of investigative research, media exposés, grassroots organizing, advocacy and litigation to win real results on issues that matter.

Across the country, state PIRGs employ close to 400 organizers, policy analysts, scientists and attorneys, and are active in 47 states, with a federal lobby office in Washington, D.C. On national issues, we also coordinate our efforts, pool resources, and share expertise so that we can have the biggest impact.

U.S. PIRG Staff - A Partial ListU.S. PIRG is an advocate for the public interest. When consumers are cheated, or the voices of ordinary citizens are drowned out by special interest lobbyists, U.S. PIRG speaks up and takes action. We uncover threats to public health and well-being and fight for the public interest.

Funded By Our Citizen Members

Thousands of U.S. PIRG members and supporters fund our staff so we can counter the influence of powerful special interests. We conduct the research, educate the public, and advocate in the public's interest by making our case face-to-face with elected officials.

What's New

U.S. PIRG urged the Senate to reject the House’s proposed one-year retroactive tax extender package, which would add approximately $45 billion to the federal deficit, while overwhelmingly catering to special interests and failing to prioritize public benefits

While the dust is still settling from the mid-term elections and the pundits are trying to figure out what it all means, the American people have made their collective voices heard and delivered a message that they do not like the country's direction. Exit polling data from Election Day showed clear majorities in against growing corporate influence on the political process and in favor of greater corporate accountability. The message is clear: inversions must stop, corporate tax avoidance must end, and special corporate loopholes must close.

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Public Interest Research Group today submitted comments to a ruling issued by The Department of Treasury on corporate inversions. The guidance, released in September, laid out a number of reforms to curb inversions including regulations on “hopscotch” loans and “de-controlling” strategies.

Among the toys surveyed this year, we found numerous choking hazards and five toys with concentrations of toxics exceeding federal standards. In addition to reporting on potentially hazardous products found in stores in 2014, this installment of the report describes the potential hazards in toys and children’s products.

Dangerous or toxic toys can still be found on America’s store shelves, according to our 29th annual Trouble in Toyland report. The report reveals the results of laboratory testing on toys for toxic chemicals, including lead, chromium and phthalates, all of which can have serious, adverse health impacts on a child’s development. The survey also found examples of small toys that pose a choking hazard, extremely loud toys that threaten children’s hearing, and powerful toy magnets that can cause serious injury if swallowed.

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Phineas Baxandall at the US Public Interest Research Group, a non-partisan advocacy, says the trend toward privatising the enforcement of traffic laws poses inherent conflicts of interest. Municipalities typically sign up because they are strapped for cash. When the contract involves revenue-sharing between the vendor and the municipality, there is an incentive to issue more tickets than necessary. But even flat-fee contracts can cause problems, if the system is implicitly tuned to recoup that fee by, in effect, setting a quota of tickets to be issued.

With the heightened attention paid to Mitt Romney’s use of offshore tax havens, it is important to remember that tax havens are more than just an electoral issue. Tax havens are a serious policy matter that profoundly affects ordinary Americans, our economy, our national debt and our long-term competitiveness.

With the second anniversary approaching of the Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case – which opened the floodgates to corporate spending on elections – U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) and Citizens for Tax Justice reveal 30 corporations that spent more to lobby Congress than they did in taxes.

Rich Williams, a higher education advocate for U.S. Public Interest Research Groups (PIRG) said he's looking forward to the consumer bureau's work with student loans, as well as credit cards and debit cards issued on campus. With a director, the bureau can now set rules of the road for all providers of student loans, not just those issued by banks.